Can't Swipe Up or Down on Apple Watch

Thanks for the reply but as I stated in my original post, Restarting the watch is the current workaround but it requires frequency and annoying that when you go to swipe, you want it to do that function then and not have to wait for restart every time.

Secondly, aware of unpairing and resetting but avoiding that step for now as I stated in OP.

No screen protector but don't see or have had any indication that debris was a cause since a restart fixes the issue. Sure I've had where wet fingers or wet watch may not respond to touches and cleaning or drying allows the functionality to work correctly but that is not the case here in my situation or in others who have this happen intermittently and with frequency.

One thing I read was toggling off and back on the haptic setting on the watch seems to fix the issue without a restart so I'll be testing that the next time it quits working properly.